Department for Transport

Diesel Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to raise awareness and encourage the use of (a) Adblue and (b) other technologies which can reduce the emissions of diesel engines.

Mr John Hayes: Since 2013, the Government has awarded over £27 million to retrofit almost 3,000 of the oldest vehicles through schemes like the Clean Bus Technology Fund (CBTF) and the Clean Vehicle Technology Fund (CVTF). Retrofitting refers to all or part of an engine being modified with pollution reducing technology and includes technologies such as Selective Catalytic Reduction which usually use an aqueous urea, such as AdBlue. Retrofitting has the potential for significant reductions in nitrogen dioxide emissions. In the 2016 Autumn Statement, the UK Government committed a further £100 million in support for low emission buses. Part of this funding will be used to reduce the emissions of 1,500 buses through retrofitting the vehicles to meet tougher emissions requirements. Later this year the Government will announce how this funding will be distributed, including how various bodies, such as local authorities, can apply. The Government is also establishing a retrofit technology accreditation scheme, which will provide independent evidence that a vehicle retrofit technology will deliver the expected pollutant emissions reductions and air quality benefits.

Department for Transport: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's average response rate was to individual Freedom of Information requests in each month from July 2016 to date.

Mr John Hayes: Freedom of Information statistics are Official Statistics and are governed by the standards set out by the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) in their Code of Practice. To publish information outside of the release timetable would be a breach of Protocol 2 of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The latest FOI statistics were published in December 2016 and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/freedom-of-information-statistics-july-to-september-2016--2

Large Goods Vehicles: EU Countries

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of EU-based hauliers carrying out work in the UK in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Mr John Hayes: The Department does not hold comprehensive information on the number of EU-based hauliers operating in the UK.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) financial and (b) accessibility implications for disabled drivers of the process of applying for a reduced rate of vehicle tax.

Andrew Jones: Her Majesty’s Treasury carried out an equalities assessment on DLA reform and Personal Independence Payments. In addition, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) completed an Equality Analysis report ahead of the introduction of the standard rate of Personal Independence Payments. The analysis recognised the benefits of an online system but accepted that such a system would be dependent on an electronic data interchange between the DVLA and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The DVLA and DWP are working towards providing such a service.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to accept applications for a reduced rate of vehicle tax online and at Post Office branches.

Andrew Jones: The law requires the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to check that a customer is entitled to the standard rate of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) before a vehicle can be licensed at the reduced rate of vehicle excise duty.The DVLA does not receive information from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about those entitled to the standard rate of PIP so is currently unable to offer an online service to those customers. Customers who wish to apply for a reduced rate of vehicle excise duty because they are in receipt of the standard rate of PIP must therefore send their application to the DVLA. The DVLA is working closely with DWP on how data can be shared securely and appropriately between the two departments to help facilitate an online and Post Office service for customers entitled to the reduced rate of vehicle excise duty.

Severn River Crossing

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish the response to its consultation on the future of the Severn Bridges which closed on 10 March 2017.

Mr John Hayes: We are currently analysing the consultation responses and will respond in summer 2017.

Garages and Petrol Stations: Prices

Victoria Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government monitors the extent of fuel price differentials between motorway and non-motorway service stations.

Victoria Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the average price differential of fuel per litre in cost and percentage terms between motorway and non-motorway service stations.

Mr John Hayes: The Department does not monitor the pricing of fuel at Motorway Service Areas. However, the Department does monitor areas of concern raised by road users in order to make improvements. Recent research by Transport Focus, the independent watchdog representing users of England’s major roads, concluded that overall Motorway Service Areas do meet the needs of most users.

Transport: Students

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on improving access to affordable transport for 16 to 18 year old further education students.

Andrew Jones: The Government recognises the importance of accessible transport to all young people and my Department continues to engage on a regular basis with the Department for Education and other Government Departments as well as local authorities and the transport sector on this issue. The legal responsibility for transport to education and training for 16 to 19 year-olds rests with local authorities who are free to put in place appropriate arrangements. This enables them to make decisions that best match local needs and circumstances. The new Enhanced Partnership powers in the Bus Services Bill would allow local transport authorities and bus operators to agree standard ticket rules, such as eligibility for half fares across operators.

High Speed Two: Travel

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many flights were undertaken by HS2 Ltd personnel at a cost to (a) that company and (b) the public purse during the last six months; what the cost was of those flights; and what the reasons for those flights were.

Andrew Jones: During the period 23 September 2016 to 23 March 2017, 35 single flights and 36 return flights were taken. This was at a cost of £11,203.54. The reasons for the flights were for investigating existing high speed rail networks, visiting rail industry conferences, and internal and external meetings. These have been broken down in the following table.   Reason ProvidedSingleReturnConference Attendance318Event Attendance132Meeting Attendance1916 3536

CH2M Hill: Contracts

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reasons are for the time taken to sign the contracts with CH2M for the HS2 Phase B development partnership.

Andrew Jones: Following the announcement of the winning bid for the Phase 2b Development Partner, one of the bidders raised a number of questions about the decision. HS2 Ltd is currently looking into these questions and expects to reach a resolution soon.

Department for Transport: Travel

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many flights were undertaken by his Department's officials at a cost to the public purse during the last six months; what the cost of those flights was; and what the reasons for those flights were.

Mr John Hayes: The central Department made a total of 1,409 bookings for flights at a cost of £806,711, for the 6 month period from 01/09/16 to 28/02/2017. 1,144 bookings were made using the Department’s internal ‘Clarity’ system at a cost of £722,973. The table at Annex A (attached) summarises the reasons for those bookings. The remaining 265 bookings costing £83,738 were made through either the Department’s Travel & Subsistence system or using Government Procurement Cards. These bookings were made to undertake official Departmental business.Please note that due to the configuration of DfT’s systems, several assumptions were made in order to answer these questions: Our systems cannot be filtered on ‘Officials’, as per the request. The data provided contains bookings that were made for parties other than just departmental officials, including Ministers and external parties (e.g. speakers at conferences). Our system records flight bookings that have been made, but if they were subsequently changed or refunded, our system cannot not identify which flight it related to. Similarly, if several flights have been booked at once, they may be reported in our system as one booking.



68774 - Annex A
(Word Document, 12.45 KB)

Aircraft: Electronic Equipment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the communications provided by tour companies and airlines to UK nationals in places affected by the new US restrictions on electronic devices on flights is consistent and comprehensive.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport has been working closely with affected airlines and other relevant parties to ensure they are aware of the new security measures being introduced. We continue to liaise with and assist them in ensuring UK nationals are made aware of the impact of the new restrictions, and the actions they need to take. We would expect airlines affected by the US restrictions to provide their passengers with the necessary information needed to ensure compliance.

Aircraft: Electronic Equipment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions UK representatives have had with (a) US authorities, (b) authorities in affected countries, (c) airlines and (d) other national or international bodies on the recent US announcement restricting electronic devices on flights; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport has been in close contact with our US counterparts in order to fully understand their position taken. We have also been working closely with our partners overseas. We have been liaising with airlines and industry to put in place measures we believe are necessary, effective and proportionate.

Home Office

Overseas Students

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to remove international students from the Government's net migration figures.

Mr Robert Goodwill: International students are included in net migration statistics that are produced by the Independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). In line with the internationally agreed UN definition, these statistics define a migrant as someone changing their normal place of residence for more than a year. Students are therefore included in the same way as other migrants. Other countries, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia also include students in their net migration figures. Like other migrants, students who stay for longer than 12 months have an impact on communities, infrastructure and services while they are here, so it is right that they are included in the net migration count.There is no limit to the number of genuine international students who can come to study in the United Kingdom and there are absolutely no plans to change this.

Football: Racial Discrimination

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2017 to Question 60970, what data her Department holds on the number of prosecutions and convictions as a result of football-related arrests in connection with racist and indecent chanting.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office does not hold data on the number of prosecutions and convictions as a result of football-related arrests in connection with racist and indecent chanting. Ministry of Justice are responsible for publishing statistics on prosecutions and convictions.

Visas: Scotland

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on the assignment of designated competent bodies in Scotland for Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visas.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The designated competent bodies under the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent route operate across the whole of the United Kingdom, including Scotland – the route does not restrict an applicant to a particular location or to work for a particular employer.Where a designated competent body represents the interests of a number of other organisations with similar expertise in its particular field, it is required to consult with those other interested parties when setting and publishing its Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) endorsement requirements or making any changes to them. This includes consultation with equivalent bodies in Scotland who fulfil a similar function to the designated competent bodies.The Government keeps the list under review and considers applications for bodies to be assigned to the list on a case-by-case basis.

Immigration

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people with dependants who have been granted leave to remain in the UK had a no recourse to public funds condition attached to their leave in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The published statistics on grants and refusals of extensions of leave by category can be found in table ex_01_q in the Immigration Statistics release.The latest release Immigration Statistics October - December 2016, is available for download at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2016 with the extensions tables at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/593024/extensions-q4-2016-tables.odsThe published statistics do not differentiate between applicants with dependents and those without and so cannot accurately answer the MP’s question.

Immigration

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost of staff time for casework within her Department to review applications for a change of conditions of leave granted on the basis of family or private life.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The cost referred to in the question is not published as discrete data. Information on remuneration and staff can be found from page 71 of the Home Office annual report:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016

Immigration

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests were made to her Department for a change of conditions of leave were approved in lifting the no recourse to public funds condition to the applicants conditions of leave in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests were made to her Department for a change of conditions of leave lifting the condition of no recourse to public funds in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry but this information is not held in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Deportation: Children in Care

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2017 to Question 67099, on deportation: children in care, whether her Department holds information on which countries those young children that have left care were deported to.

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many young people who left care in the last five years were subsequently deported to (a) Somalia, (b) Afghanistan, (c) Democratic Republic of Congo, (d) Central African Republic and (e) Albania.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office does not comment on individual cases.

Refugees

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which organisations she consulted prior to the decision to end automatic settlement of refugees after completion of five years leave to remain in the UK.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the costs of introducing safe return reviews for refugees who have completed five years leave to remain in the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The policy decision on ending automatic settlement for refugees was introduced in 2005. This Government has never operated a policy of automatic settlement for refugees. Those who need protection are normally granted 5 years’ limited leave after which they are able to apply for permanent settlement. All settlement applications are carefully considered on their individual merits and this includes assessing whether there have been significant changes in country conditions or personal circumstances, which means that an individual no longer needs our protection.UK Visas & Immigration already have a dedicated resource in place to undertake safe return reviews when considering settlement applications from those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Prices

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has carried out an assessment of changes in investor confidence caused by Ofgem's proposal retrospectively to remove long-standing triad incentive payments from committed 2014 and 2015 capacity market contracts.

Jesse Norman: The review of embedded benefits related to Transmission Network Use of System demand charges is a matter for Ofgem, as the independent regulator. Ofgem is consulting on a draft impact assessment which considers various impacts of its proposed reforms.The Department has received a number of stakeholder representations regarding the review of embedded benefits. These suggest that many embedded generation projects with capacity agreements from the 2014 and 2015 auctions will be largely unaffected; but some may be affected if they have assumed current levels of embedded benefit over a longer term.The Capacity Market exists to provide back-up supply when needed.Holders of capacity agreements are of course subject to strict termination fees where they are unable to fulfil their agreements. The Government remains confident that these obligations, alongside the future one-year-ahead auction, can be used effectively to mitigate any risks to capacity that arise between the four-year-ahead auction and the delivery year, so that security of supply is maintained.

European Research Area

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of the UK becoming an associate member of the European Research Area after the UK leaves the EU.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the status of the UK will be in discussions for the next 9th EU RTD Framework Programme once the Government has triggered Article 50.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what role the UK will have in discussions and preparations for the 9th EU RTD Framework Programme during the process of the UK leaving the EU.

Joseph Johnson: This Government wants the UK to be the go-to place for researchers, innovators and investors across the world, and we intend to secure the right outcome for the UK research base as we exit the European Union.As my Rt Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said, we would welcome an agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives. However it is too early to speculate on the UK’s future relationship with specific EU research programmes, including Horizon 2020 and successor programmes.The Government is committed to ensuring the UK remains a world leader in international research and innovation.

Committee on Fuel Poverty

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the amount of spending by his Department on supporting the activities of the Committee on Fuel Poverty in each month in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Committee on Fuel Poverty was launched in January 2016. To the end of February 2017, members have been paid a total of £75,656 for their work on the Committee. Monthly payments are broadly similar as they relate to the agreed rates paid to members of the Committee, plus expenses. The Committee also has access to a Departmental research budget and has submitted a proposal for approval.

Natural Gas: Contracts

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to renew operational contracts for gas interconnectors within the next two years.

Jesse Norman: Gas interconnectors are commercial businesses, licensed and regulated by the independent regulator, Ofgem. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has no contractual relationship with them. Any operational contracts are a commercial matter for the companies.

Housing: Insulation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of homes due to have insulating measures installed through the Energy Company Obligation in each of the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Department estimates that around 520,000 homes (or 260,000 per year) will be treated with 365,000 insulated, between April 2015 and the end of the current stage of ECO (in March 2017). An additional 545,000 homes (or over 360,000 a year) will be treated, with around 500,000 insulated, during the 18 month ECO extension (running between April 2017 and September 2018).Estimates for the number of homes insulated in the period post September 2018 will be published alongside the consultation later this year.

Sunday Trading

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the hours of trading on Sundays for shops larger than 280 square metres.

Margot James: The Government assessed the Sunday Trading Act previously and sought to change the rules last year by providing a power so that local authorities could take decisions on extending Sunday trading hours locally. Parliament decided not to support those proposals and the Government has no plans to bring forward further legislation at this time.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department or its predecessors have conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of training standards developed by the Global Wind Organisation for employees in the UK offshore wind industry.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Offshore Industry: Employment

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to promote the transfer of employment and skills between different sectors of the offshore energy industry.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Insulation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the total number of homes to be insulated through the Energy Company Obligations scheme in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Department estimates that around 545,000 homes (or over 360,000 a year) will be treated, with around 500,000 insulated, during the 18 month Energy Company Obligation extension (running between April 2017 and September 2018).Estimates for the number of homes insulated in the period post September 2018 will be published alongside the consultation later this year.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the average response rate was of his Department to individual Freedom of Information requests in each month since July 2016.

Sir Patrick McLoughlin: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given by Hon. Friend the Minister for the Constitution on 21 March 2017 to PQ68036.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Agriculture: Export Duties

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of tariff increases on the viability of the UK agriculture industry sector in the event that the UK leaves the single market.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government is conducting analysis at the macroeconomic and sectoral level to understand the impact of leaving the EU on all aspects of the UK, including the agriculture sector. We want our new partnership with the EU to allow for tariff free trade in goods and to minimise the regulatory and market access barriers for both goods and services.We have recently heard from the International Meat Trade Association, National Farmers’ Union, and the National Pig Association, and have held a number of ministerial roundtables on this subject.We have however been clear that we are not going to publish anything that might risk harming our negotiating position.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Third Sector

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2017 to Question 63174, on Department for Education: third sector, what information her Department holds on which charitable and voluntary organisations are in receipt of grants from her Department; what the value of each such grant is; and how each such grant was allocated.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department publishes details of all expenditure exceeding £25,000 and they are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-department-and-executive-agency-spend-over-25-000 .  This information is taken directly from our financial systems where reported expenditure includes all payments made to organisations. However, those systems do not distinguish between payments made to charitable and voluntary sector organisations and those made to the private sector. We have attempted to consider alternative sources of information.The DfE Grants Register (in Excel format) covers grants awarded and the planned allocation of funds including to organisations in the charitable and voluntary sectors. An extract of the information held is attached, though this does not give the total picture as we are updating the data as part of a migration process to a new system. To provide information on all grants actually paid would incur a disproportionate cost.



Excerpt of Grants Register
(PDF Document, 240.29 KB)

Apprentices: Taxation

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of apprenticeship starts in 2017-18 are expected to be offered by businesses (a) paying and (b) not paying the Apprenticeship Levy.

Robert Halfon: Future availability of apprenticeships is dependent on employers recruiting apprentices and offering opportunities. Published data on projected apprenticeship starts is not available. We want to encourage more employers to offer apprenticeships and our reforms give employers the opportunity to do so - employers are designing new apprenticeships that meet their business and skills needs. We are putting control of the funding for apprenticeships firmly in the hands of employers, so they can invest in quality training. Publication of the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers on 14 March 2017 means that employers have a real choice in the training they select, so that they get the skills they need to grow their business. The Apprenticeships Levy comes into effect from April 2017, as part of a wider suite of reforms to improve the quality and sustainability of the apprenticeship system.

Students: Loans

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time tuition fee loans were paid to students from (a) Batley and Spen constituency, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) England in each of the last seven years.

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time tuition fee loans were paid to students from (a) Batley and Spen constituency and (b) West Yorkshire in each of the last seven years.

Joseph Johnson: Statistics on student support awards and payments are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’. The latest figures available refer to the 2016/17 Academic Year for student support awards and 2015/16 for actual payments, and are available at the link below.http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspxStatistics in the SFR are at the national level.Students who were paid full-time tuition fee loans from the Batley and Spen Parliamentary Constituency1, West Yorkshire and EnglandAcademic years: 2009/10 to 2015/16 Academic YearBatley and SpenWest YorkshireEngland2009/102,95024,520790,2552010/113,16025,730832,6102011/123,41026,885887,2702012/133,65027,770925,4652013/143,95528,980965,5402014/154,22530,245973,3952015/16 [3]4,52532,0301,006,715 Source: Student Loans Company (SLC)Based on the student’s address at the time of the application.Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.Data for 2015/16 is effective 31/08/2016, this is still provisional as payments still happen following the end of the academic year.Batley & Spen Constituency and West Yorkshire have been derived from the home address (postcode region) of the student as stated on application for student finance.

Apprentices: Small Businesses

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to employ apprentices.

Robert Halfon: Supporting and growing apprenticeships amongst smaller employers who won’t be asked to pay the levy is critical to us. Our decision to provide generous co-investment support and extend this to 100% support for employers with fewer than 50 employees, when they recruit a 16-18-year-old or a 19-24-year-old formerly in care or with an Education and Health Care plan shows this. We are undertaking a range of communications and engagement activity to ensure employers of all sizes are aware of how they can benefit from the opportunities presented by apprenticeships. The current phase of the Get in Go Far campaign focuses on helping smaller employers understand the benefits of apprenticeships. This is being supported by a telemarketing campaign led by the Skills Funding Agency. Small and Medium Enterprises will continue to play a critical role in growing apprenticeship opportunities.

Apprentices: Ethnic Groups

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has (a) allocated and (b) spent on encouraging BME people to take apprenticeships in construction, IT and engineering.

Robert Halfon: We have set an ambitious public target to increase the proportion of apprenticeships started by people from BAME backgrounds by 20% by 2020. There is no specific budget allocation to promote apprenticeships to individuals with a BAME background in any sector. Our ‘Get In Go Far’ campaign, featuring BAME role models, encourages more employers to offer apprenticeship opportunities and more individuals to apply. Additionally, the Apprenticeships Diversity Champions Network launched on 21st February, is engaging and inspiring employers and communities to ensure apprenticeships are represented by people from a diverse range of backgrounds, reflecting the widest spectrum of our society. It aims to influence the behaviour of other employers to support more people from underrepresented groups, including those with disabilities, women, and members of the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, to access apprenticeships.

Apprentices: Taxation

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider extending to maintained schools exemptions similar to those which exist for small academies from the Apprenticeship Levy; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Halfon: There are no exemptions to the Apprenticeship Levy. All employers, including public sector employers, with an annual pay bill of over £3 million will be required to pay the apprenticeship levy. It is ultimately down to each local authority in scope of the levy to decide how to spread out the cost across the organisations that fall within their remit, including maintained schools. We have made it clear that we expect local authorities to work closely with the schools in their areas, to agree how this will work; and to ensure non-maintained schools contributing to the levy can access the funding for apprenticeship training. Department and Skills Funding Agency officials are already working closely with the LGA and local authorities to support them in doing this. A guidance document for schools and local authorities on the apprenticeship levy has been published on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeships-reforms-guide-for-schools

Universities: Females

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle the under-representation of women in senior positions in universities, including in the position of Vice Chancellor.

Joseph Johnson: Higher education institutions (HEIs) are autonomous from Government and Ministers are statutorily prohibited from involvement in HEIs recruitment decisions.I commend the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education’s Aurora programme for developing future women leaders in higher education. I also commend the Equality Challenge Unit’s Athena Swan Programme which recognises the advancement of gender equality in HE through representation, progression and success for all.

Ministry of Justice

Fraud: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serious fraud cases have been investigated in Northern Ireland in the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department of Justice in Northern Ireland sponsors the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland who investigate serious fraud submitted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). This is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Drugs: Sentencing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2017 to Question 68249, on drugs: sentencing, how many people serving a custodial sentence for drug offences are serving that sentence for personal possession.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The number of people serving a custodial sentence for drug offences can be found in Table A1.5i at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/563256/Population_2016.xlsx Possession of a controlled drug as listed in this table is an offence under section 5(2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, other offences such as possession with intent to supply are recorded under trafficking offences.

Protection From Harassment Act 1997

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) charged and (b) convicted under section (i) 2, (ii) 2a, (iii) 4 and (iv) 4a of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 during 2015.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and offenders found guilty at all courts of the offences requested under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, in England and Wales, in 2015 can be viewed in the table attached. Charging data is not held by the Ministry of Justice.



Number of Persons Proceeded against 2015
(Excel SpreadSheet, 85.5 KB)

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who appealed to a tribunal against a decision not to award the enhanced rate mobility component of personal independence payments were awarded (a) the standard rate, (b) the enhanced rate and (c) nothing in each quarter of 2016.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who appealed to a tribunal against a decision not to award the standard rate mobility component of personal independence payments were awarded (a) the standard rate, (b) the enhanced rate and (c) nothing in each quarter of 2016.

Sir Oliver Heald: This information is not held centrally. Information about the number and outcomes of Personal Independence Payment appeals generally is published on gov.uk. The most recent statistics, for the period October to December 2016, can be viewed at www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2016

Driving under Influence: Convictions

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the decline in the number of drink-driving convictions between 2004 and 2014.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Ministry of Justice have not made an assessment of the reasons for the decline in the number of drink-driving convictions. Policy on reducing drink driving and road safety is a matter for the Department for Transport.

Social Security Benefits: Leeds

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the success rate for appeals against decisions on (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment entitlement in Leeds has been in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available.

Sir Oliver Heald: The table below provides a further breakdown of this information.Personal Independence Payment 1 and Employment and Support Allowance 2 AppealsYearLeeds Venue4  PIP1ESA21 January 2016 – 31 December 2016% in Favour35748 SSCS appeals are normally registered to the venue nearest to the appellants’ home address. We cannot retrieve data based on the appellants’ actual address, but can produce reports detailing the numbers of cases that were dealt with at one of our Regional centres or venues. 1 Personal Independence Payment (New Claim Appeals) which replaces Disability Living Allowance was introduced on 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Payment (Reassessments). 2 Employment and Support Allowance which was rolled out from October 2008 and Employment and Support Allowance (Incapacity Benefit Reassessment) rolled out from April 2011.  3 % in Favour provides the number of appeals where the decision was found in the favour of the appellant as a percentage of the total number of appeals disposed of (this is inclusive of both those cleared at hearing and those cleared without the need of a tribunal hearing). 4 Leeds venue - Covers all appeals heard at the Leeds Venue. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data that are available.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Two Trees School Denton

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with Sport England on the disposal request for the Two Trees High School site in Denton; and if she will meet the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish to discuss that request.

Tracey Crouch: My officials are in contact with Sport England regarding the Two Trees High School Site in Denton. Sport England have been in regular discussions with Tameside MBC, Andrew Gwynne MP and other key local stakeholders about the future of the site. Sport England will continue to provide advice on this and I hope this will help to achieve an outcome that provides the local community with sustainable sports facilities that help more people to get active. My department will continue to monitor the situation with interest and to engage as appropriate.

Broadband: Wealden

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many premises in Wealden constituency have access to superfast broadband through the Broadband Delivery UK scheme.

Matt Hancock: Over 16,000 premises within the constituency have received access to superfast broadband because of government intervention. A further 24,600 are able to connect as a result of commercially funded rollout.

Broadband: Wealden

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of when superfast broadband coverage in Wealden constituency will reach (a) 90 and (b) 95 per cent.

Matt Hancock: Third party analysis by Think Broadband puts current superfast coverage in the constituency at 89.3%. Coverage is likely to increase further both as a result of the current Go eSussex project (http://www.goesussex.co.uk/) and a potential future project, for which an Invitation to Tender is expected to be issued shortly.

Public Libraries: Complaints

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2017 to Question 68114, on public libraries: complaints, what the total number of correspondence received by her Department from all local authorities complaining about library services changes since 2010 is.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Department does not maintain records of the total number of correspondence received concerning complains about library service changes for either all or each local authority in England.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment: Mental Illness

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Urgent Question on 15 March 2017, Official Report, column 402, on personal independence payment assessments, how many people have scored points under descriptor f for psychiatric disorders alone for (a) new claims and (b) disability living allowance reassessments.

Penny Mordaunt: We have interpreted your question to be requesting the number of people who have scored points under descriptor f for Mobility Activity 1 (Planning and Following Journeys). The number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments where the claimant had a Psychiatric Disorder and scored descriptor F for Mobility Activity 1 was: New Claims: 12,160Reassessments: 68,220 Figures include all PIP decisions between April 2013 and 28th February 2017. Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.

Children: Maintenance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) non-resident parents and (b) parents with care registered with the Child Maintenance Service claim (i) income-based jobseeker's allowance, (ii) income-based employment and support allowance and (iii) universal credit; and in how many instances the non-resident parent but not the parent with care claims any of those benefits.

Caroline Nokes: For the Child Maintenance Service, the requested information for non-resident-parents (NRP) and parents with care (PWC) on benefit as at November 2016 are as follows:  Volume ClaimingNRPPWCiIncome-based jobseeker's allowance11,6009,500iiIncome-based employment and support allowance33,00029,700iiiUniversal Credit7,2004,000 For the same period, the volume of NRP but not PWC claiming any of the benefits was 42,600. More details on the caseload for November 2016 can be found on page 5 of the Child Maintenance Scheme quarterly summary of statistics which can be accessed online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/585260/2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme-aug-2013-nov-2017-experimental.pdf.  Note that the figures are case based, non-resident-parent and parents with care might have more than one case so an individual may be included in the figures more than once.

Personal Independence Payment

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the cumulative cost to date of the personal independence payments assessment programme on the NHS budget.

Penny Mordaunt: Personal Independence Payment (PIP), together with Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance, are universal benefits that help with the extra costs arising from a long-term health condition or disability. Spending on these benefits increased by over £3 billion over the course of the last parliament and we expect to be spending nearly £23 billion in 2017/18. We would expect individuals to be accessing the relevant support services, regardless of benefit receipt and do not expect the introduction of PIP to impact health services.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he plans to take to reduce the (a) number of appeals against decisions on personal independence payments and (b) success rate of such appeals.

Penny Mordaunt: 7%, of all Personal Independence Payment (PIP) decisions have been appealed and 3% have been overturned. As part of on-going review and improvement of PIP, we are continuing to make efforts to ensure that all decisions, whether made initially or at Mandatory Reconsideration (MR), are the best informed decisions. For example, the department is running a series of trials which looks at the end to end PIP decision making process with a particular focus on MR and explores the different ways we can improve the quality of our decision making. However, it is important that claimants can appeal their award decision if they are unhappy with it. Moreover, a request for an appeal does not mean that the decisions taken initially and as part of Mandatory Reconsideration were not right. Claimants often provide new, relevant evidence at the tribunal stage.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment assessment decisions have been overturned at mandatory reconsideration stage since 1 January 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: Statistics on Personal Independence Payment Mandatory Reconsiderations can be found in published statistics in data tables 7A and 7B of:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statisticsThese statistics relate to normal rules claims (i.e. excluding special rules cases for the terminally ill), and are for both new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) reassessment claims.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve the ratio of personal independence payment cases that reach the appeal stage due to inaccurate assessments.

Penny Mordaunt: The system of assessing claimants’ eligibility for Personal Independent Payment (PIP) has been continually reviewed and refined in order to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. We continue to work extensively with PIP assessment providers and disability representatives to make improvements to guidance, training and audit procedures in order to ensure a quality service is maintained. Furthermore, as part of on-going review and improvement of PIP, we are continuing to make efforts to ensure that all decisions, whether made initially or at Mandatory Reconsideration, are the best informed decisions. For example, the department is running a series of tests which explores the different ways we can improve evidence gathering and the quality of our decision making. However, it is important that claimants can appeal their award decision if they are unhappy with it. Moreover, a request for an appeal does not mean that the decisions taken initially and as part of Mandatory Reconsideration were inaccurate. Claimants often provide new, relevant evidence at the tribunal stage.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs: Sheep

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of dog attacks on sheep flocks in each of the last four years.

George Eustice: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 14 March 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Information on dog attacks on sheep and other livestock is not routinely collated by Defra. However, details of the number of people prosecuted under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 for each of the last four years for which details are available can be found in the attached table.Defra and the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England (AHWBE) recently met police forces, farming and rural interests to discuss the situation. Under the auspices of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, five police forces are collaborating to pilot more systematic data collection of incidents and good response practices



66758 - dog attacks on sheep and other livestock
(PDF Document, 11.36 KB)

George Eustice: Information on dog attacks on sheep and other livestock is not routinely collated by Defra. However, details of the number of people prosecuted under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 for each of the last four years for which details are available can be found in the attached table.Defra and the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England (AHWBE) recently met police forces, farming and rural interests to discuss the situation. Under the auspices of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, five police forces are collaborating to pilot more systematic data collection of incidents and good response practices



66758 - dog attacks on sheep and other livestock
(PDF Document, 11.36 KB)

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the UK has received through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund in each of the last 10 years.

George Eustice: The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), as with all European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), run on a seven year cycle. The predecessor to the EMFF was the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), which ran from 2007 – 2013. A breakdown of payments received by the UK, for each fund are given below. The EMFF did not open for applications until January 2016 and payments for projects did not commence until later that year. Therefore, the figure for 2015 and most of that for 2016 comprise of the pre-financing element that is provided by the European Commission. UK European Fisheries Fund (EFF) payments 2008-2016Payment YearSum of EFF Payments (£)Sum of EFF Payments (€)200816,454,572.4219,295,904.46201227,267,995.2432,650,846.2620138,964,246.8510,392,606.72201425,491,459.2232,251,658.18201520,712,212.3028,563,761.14Total98,890,486.03123,154,776.76Payment YearSum of EMFF Payments (£)Sum of EMFF Payments (€)20153,573,295.444,571,021.4220165,334,537.426,856,532.13Total8,907,832.8611,427,553.55

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average response rate was of her Department to individual Freedom of Information requests in each month since July 2016.

George Eustice: Response rates for Freedom of Information requests received by Defra are published quarterly on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics Information has been published up to September 2016 and subsequent figures will be published in due course.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many herds have been subject to interferon gamma testing in each of the (a) low, (b) edge and (c) high-risk bovine tuberculosis control areas in each year from 2008 to 2016; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Low, Edge and High-Risk Bovine Tuberculosis areas have only been in place since 2013. However, figures in the table below give figures retrospectively assuming the areas.   200820092010201120122013201420152016Edge6911323357182194191205High68161714273140454441Low364442362252324542  The total number of herds subject to interferon gamma test in 2008 and 2009 are higher than in subsequent years because mandatory IFN-γ testing policy of animals that have been skin tested twice with inconclusive results became redundant and ended in 2010, when all three countries of Great Britain moved to a stricter policy of removing as reactors all those animals that failed to resolve at their first skin retest.  Between 2009 and 2016, the number of samples (animals) tested in England has quadrupled, with the largest increase taking place in the Edge Area. IFN-γ testing of TB breakdown herds in the HRA is also about to be significantly increased from April 2017.

Power Stations: Pollution

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the UK complies with the Medium Combustion Plant Directive by December 2017.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We recently consulted on proposals to transpose the Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD). We are proposing to amend the current England and Wales environmental permitting regime to implement the MCPD which will be transposed into law by December 2017. New plants will be required to comply with the MCPD emission limits by 20 December 2018. Existing plants with a rated thermal input >5MW will be required to comply by 1 January 2025 whilst existing plants with a rated thermal input

Agriculture

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to include measures applying to (a) England and (b) all nations of the UK in the forthcoming 25 year plan for food and farming.

George Eustice: Our ambition is to be a world-leading food, farming and fishing nation that grows more, sells more and exports more of our food around the world. To this end, we are committed to publishing a 25 year food and farming plan and in order to develop this we are currently gathering views from right across industry and all parts of the UK.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2017 to Question 68033, on agriculture, when her Department plans to make a decision on how the commitment to maintain agricultural sector funding at equivalent Pillar 1 levels under the CAP from when the UK leaves the EU until 2020 will be managed and delivered; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: We understand the importance of providing certainty for farmers on funding, which is why the Government has guaranteed CAP Pillar I funding until the end of the Multiannual Financial Framework in 2020. Further details on arrangements for after 2020 will be given in due course and our intention is to do so sufficiently in advance of 2020 to give farmers time to plan.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research and information her Department holds on the prevalence of bovine TB in areas surrounding the pilot culls for each year of those pilot culls.

George Eustice: The report on monitoring TB prevalence levels in cattle herds inside, and up to 2km outside, the first two badger control areas for the first two years of badger control is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-incidence-of-tb-in-cattle-in-licensed-badger-control-areas-in-2014-to-2015

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2017 to Question 66627, on bovine tuberculosis: disease control, how many of the 421 carcasses of badgers culled by controlled shooting underwent post-mortem examination in each year; and how many of those carcasses were found to have evidence of more than one hit in each year.

George Eustice: Of the 421 carcasses of badgers culled by controlled shooting in 2013 – 2016 that have undergone post-mortem examination the distribution of these by year is as follows:Number of carcases examinedNumber with evidence of multiple shots201315882014234112015286201610Total42125

Department for Communities and Local Government

Non-domestic Rates

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether shared workspaces for the self-employed and small businesses will be eligible for the proposed business rate relief discretionary support.

Mr Marcus Jones: My Department is currently consulting on the £300 million discretionary relief scheme. The scheme will enable local authorities to help those individual businesses that are facing increased rates bills. Local authorities will be responsible for the design of local schemes which will include setting the eligibility criteria that will apply. The consultation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/discretionary-business-rates-relief-schemeAdditionally, the £110 million Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme will also be available to assist those ratepayers losing small business rates relief or rural rate relief as a result of revaluation.

Communities and Local Government: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average response rate was of his Department to individual Freedom of Information requests in each month since July 2016.

Mr Marcus Jones: FOI statistics are Official Statistics and as such are governed by the standards set out by the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) in their Code of Practice. To publish information outside of the release timetable would be a breach of Protocol 2 of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.The latest Freedom of Information statistics were published in December 2016 and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/freedom-of-information-statistics-july-to-september-2016--2

Social Services: Finance

Corri Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 6.1 of the Spring Budget 2017, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the £2 billion for social care will be delivered to frontline services and not subsumed by other council expenditure.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government is clear that the £2 billion announced on 8 March for social care must be spent only for the purpose of meeting adult social care needs, including reducing pressures on the NHS, supporting more people to be discharged from hospital when they are ready, and ensuring that the local social care provider market is supported. The money will be provided as a grant to councils with conditions attached to ensure it is spent for this purpose.

Dental Health

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2017 to Question 65415, on dental health, for what reasons his Department does not know what penalty may be applied.

Mr Marcus Jones: The duties on local authorities in relation to oral health are set out in the NHS Bodies and Local Authorities (Partnership Arrangements, Care Trusts, Public Health and Local Healthwatch) Regulations 2012 ( http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/3094/pdfs/uksi_20123094_en.pdf ). If a local authority fails to comply with its statutory duties, it is for the electorate to hold their local authority to account, either through the ballot box or through judicial review. The Local Government Ombudsman can investigate complaints of maladministration in local authorities, and recommend redress for individuals. It is not for central government to apply a specific penalty.

Non-domestic Rates: Pre-school Education

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the planned business rates rise on the nursery sector.

Mr Marcus Jones: Rateable values are set independently of ministers by the Valuation Office Agency. The Government has put in place a £3.6 billion package of transitional relief to support those businesses facing an increase. Additionally, my Department has been working closely with the Treasury to determine how best to provide further support to those businesses with the steepest increases.A package of support was subsequently announced at the Budget on 8 March. It includes £110 million to support rate-payers losing small business rates relief and rural rate relief as a result of the 2017 revaluation, as well as a £300 million discretionary relief fund for local authorities to help individual businesses that are having the greatest difficulties paying increased rates bills.

Housing Infrastructure Fund

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who will be eligible for funding from the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

Gavin Barwell: The £2.3 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund, announced at Autumn Statement 2016, will deliver up to 100,000 additional new homes through targeted investment in infrastructure in the areas of greatest housing need. It will support local authorities who are ambitious to meet their identified housing need, or go further, and those who have the strategic vision to work together. Local authorities will be able to bid for grant funding to support delivery of physical infrastructure necessary to unlock housing growth. Details of how the fund will operate will be set out when it is launched later this spring.

HM Treasury

Housing: Sales

Stephen Hammond: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many residential property transactions valued at (a) £125,000.01 to £250,000, (b) £250,000.01 to £925,000.01, (c) £925,000 to £1.5 million and (d) over £1.5 million there have been in Wimbledon constituency since 2012; and what the total stamp duty land tax revenue generated by those transactions was in (i) 2012, (ii) 2013, (iii) 2014, (iv) 2015 and (v) 2016 in each of those price bands.

Jane Ellison: The figures asked for are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Annual statistics on the total number of transactions and total Stamp Duty Land Tax receipts by Parliamentary Constituency (including Wimbledon) are published by HM Revenue and Customs in the annual ‘UK Stamp Tax Statistics’. These publications cover the financial years from 2012-13 to 2015‑16. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-stamp-tax-statisticsTable 3.6 of the latest release, for 2015-16, also contains statistics broken down by the price band of the property and the region (eg London).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/556350/AnnualStampTaxes-Release-Sep16.xlsxStatistics relating to 2016-17 are due to be published in September

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Pay

Charlie Elphicke: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many investigations have been launched into EU hauliers paying below the minimum wage to their drivers in each of the last five years for which data is available; and how many of those investigations resulted in successful prosecution.

Charlie Elphicke: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the loss of tax revenue resulting from EU-based hauliers paying below the minimum wage while working in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) receives them. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW or NLW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reviews all complaints that are referred to the department. HMRC do not collect information on employer nationality as part of minimum wage investigations.

Economic Situation: East Midlands

Lilian Greenwood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2017 to Question 62381, whether the national and regional analysis is founded upon the assumption of reverting to World Trade Organisation rules after the UK leaves the EU; what the timescale for the analysis is; whether he plans to publish the analysis; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on that analysis.

Mr David Gauke: HM Treasury are working with the Department for Exiting the European Union and other government departments to undertake a wide range of analysis of leaving the European Union. Government policy is to leave the EU and to make a success of Brexit. We are pursuing a bespoke arrangement and the best possible deal for Britain.

VAT

Chris Philp: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken for an HM Revenue and Customs VAT investigation involving a small or medium-sized business was in the 2015-16 financial year.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs estimate that during 2015-2016, VAT compliance checks on small or medium sized businesses averaged 13.9 weeks between being opened and closed.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has assessed the potential merits of using money raised through the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to extend the free school meals scheme to (a) nursery schools and (b) private nurseries; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using money raised from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to support (a) nursery schools and (b) private nurseries in accessing the Children's Food Trust accreditation scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Government has already confirmed that, in England, we will invest the £1 billion revenue we originally forecast from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy during this parliament in giving school-aged children a better and healthier future, including through doubling the primary school PE and sport premium and expanding school breakfast clubs. The Secretary of State for Education recently set out further details on this, including £415m for a new healthy pupils capital programme. The Department for Education will set out more detail in due course.

VAT: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses were registered for value added tax in the (a) City of York constituency and (b) York unitary authority area in each year since 2005.

Jane Ellison: The Office for National Statistics publication “UK Business: Activity, Size and Location” gives the total number of businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE at parliamentary constituency and local authority level from 2009 onwards. Prior to this, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform published tables showing the number of businesses registered for VAT. The estimates for a) City of York/ York Central constituency and b) York unitary authority for each year from 2005 are shown in the tables attached.



table for pq 68517
(Word Document, 16.23 KB)

Treasury: Advertising

Clive Lewis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what budget his Department has for advertising in newspapers in the (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18 financial year.

Simon Kirby: The Treasury does not hold the information requested.

Landlords: Newham

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the Landlord Licensing Scheme introduced by the London Borough of Newham on supporting HM Revenue and Customs identify underpayment of tax by landlords.

Jane Ellison: Recognising a risk of non-compliance within the residential rental market, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) launched the Let Property Campaign in September 2013 focused on the residential property letting market. HMRC have collected a range of data relating to the whole landlord population including licensing data. The data is being used to identify landlords who have not reported the rental income they should have to HMRC. The Campaign has encouraged over 26,000 residential landlords to voluntarily come forward and disclose previously unreported rental income and unpaid tax on their rental income. In addition, the Campaign has generated £115m in additional tax, interest and penalties since its launch.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Work Experience

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people undertook an unpaid work placement in his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many such placements lasted for longer than one month.

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people undertook an unpaid work placement in 10 Downing Street in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many such placements lasted for longer than one month.

Chris Skidmore: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office and is included in this reply. There is no centrally held record of unpaid work placements in the Cabinet Office. Therefore, it is not possible to provide information on the number of people that undertook an unpaid work placement in the department in each of the last five years. An attempt to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Self-employed

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are registered as self-employed in (a) Wimbledon constituency, (b) London and (c) the UK.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response to PQ68081
(PDF Document, 150.1 KB)

Cabinet Office: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page nine of the Office for National Statistics report on public sector employment data, published on 15 March 2017, for what reasons around 70 civil servants transferred from HM Treasury to his Department on 1 April 2016; and what positions those civil servants assumed upon commencing work in his Department.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page nine of the Office for National Statistics report on public sector employment data, published on 15 March 2017, for what reasons around 100 staff transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions to his Department on 1 June 2016; and what positions those civil servants assumed upon commencing work in his Department.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page nine of the Office of National Statistics report on Public sector employment data, published on 15 March 2017, for what reasons around 90 civil servants transferred from the Home Office to his Department between June and September 2016; and what positions those civil servants assumed upon commencing work in his Department.

Chris Skidmore: The transfers of staff referred to in each of these Questions were the result of a number of machinery of government changes leading to transfers of function to my Department from HM Treasury, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Home Office. These changes helped to rationalise and strengthen the corporate centre of the Civil Service based in my Department. In April 2016, Infrastructure UK (IUK) based in HM Treasury and the Major Projects Authority (MPA) based in the Cabinet Office merged to create the Infrastructure and Projects Authority within my Department. The merger brought together Government expertise in infrastructure and the financing, delivery and assurance of major projects, to support more effective management and delivery for the Government. In June 2016, the Civil Service Employee Policy group based in the Department for Work and Pensions transferred to my Department to become part of Civil Service Human Resources. Civil Service Employee Policy provide a professional and specialist service across government departments to develop and maintain Civil Service HR policies and practice. Similarly, between June and September 2016, Civil Service Learning based in the Home Office transferred to my Department and also became part of Civil Service Human Resources. Civil Service Learning provides a range of high-quality learning that aims to support and equip civil servants in the delivery of excellent public services. Information about the positions held by civil servants when they transferred into my Department are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

George Osborne

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether future meetings between Ministers and the right hon. Member for Tatton will be required to be published in the Departments' transparency data concerning meetings with proprietors, editors and media executives after his appointment as editor of the London Evening Standard; and whether any such meetings will be exempt from declaration in such transparency data.

Ben Gummer: Holding answer received on 23 March 2017



All meetings between Ministers and newspapers and other media proprietors, editors and senior executives held in an official, social and political capacity are (and will continue to be) published on a quarterly basis.

George Osborne

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to prevent the right hon. Member for Tatton from accessing copies of Government, Cabinet or Cabinet Committee papers relating to the period when he was in the Government while he is the Editor of the London Evening Standard.

Ben Gummer: Holding answer received on 23 March 2017



It is a longstanding convention that former Ministers are allowed reasonable access to the papers that were issued to them when in office. However, such access is at the Government's discretion and is conditional on potential authors undertaking to comply with the Radcliffe principles. The detail of the Radcliffe principles can be found in the Directory of Civil Service (volume 2), which is available on Gov.uk. I believe that the continued application of these provisions will provide the suitable reassurance that the Hon. Member is seeking.

Newspaper Press: Advertising

Clive Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the budget the Government has for advertising in newspapers for each government department in the 2017-18 financial year.

Chris Skidmore: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Government Departments: Evening Standard

Clive Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Government spent on advertising in the Evening Standard newspaper in the last financial year for which information is available.

Chris Skidmore: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Trade

Trade Promotion

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2016 to Question 52039, on trade promotion, whether he has received a copy of the summary report evaluating the British House project; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Garnier: The summary report is being finalised and is expected to be submitted to Ministers for approval before the Easter recess.

Department for International Trade: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the average response rate was of his Department to individual Freedom of Information requests in each month since July 2016.

Mark Garnier: FOI statistics are Official Statistics and are governed by the standards set out by the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) in their Code of Practice. To publish information outside of the release timetable would be a breach of Protocol 2 of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.The latest Freedom of Information statistics were published in December 2016 and are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/freedom-of-information-statistics-july-to-september-2016--2

Exports: USA

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the implications of the US 2017 Trade Policy Agenda and 2016 Annual Report on the level of UK exports to the US.

Mark Garnier: The US Trade Representative (USTR) published its 2017 Trade Policy Agenda and 2016 Annual Report on 1 March. The annual report is a statutory obligation, charting progress on trade policy matters in the preceding year and setting the course for the year ahead.The US is our largest single trading partner, accounting for a fifth of all exports. The Prime Minister and President Trump agreed to take forward high-level talks to lay the groundwork for a future U.K.-U.S. trade agreement and identify the practical steps we can take now to enable companies in both countries to trade and do business with one another more easily.

Agriculture: Trade

Edward Argar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what meetings he or Ministers of his Department have had with the National Farmers Union to discuss the UK's farming sector and international trade since 1 January 2017.

Mark Garnier: My noble Friend the Minister of State for Trade Policy (Lord Price) met the National Farmers’ Union in February, along with other representatives from the agriculture, food and drink sector, to discuss a range of issues on the sector and international trade.

Overseas Trade

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which the three non-EU countries are with which the UK does not have a free trade agreement and with which the UK trades most by value.

Mark Garnier: The three countries with which the EU does not currently have a trade agreement and with which the UK traded the most by value in 2015 are the United States of America, China and Japan.

Exports

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many companies in (a) Greater London and (b) the London Borough of Newham exported goods or services to (i) other EU countries and (ii) non-EU countries in each year since 2010.

Mark Garnier: The number of businesses in Greater London exporting goods to EU and non-EU countries since 2010 is available in HMRC Regional Trade Statistics.EU and non–EU data for 2013-16 are not comparable with data for 2010-2012 due to differences in methodology.Similar data for the London Borough of Newham are not available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Deportation

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government (a) has raised or (b) plans to raise with the Government of Israel the issue of deportations from Israel of activists who support a boycott of illegally occupied Palestinian territories.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to commit new research funding to the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security to support the Government's commitment to the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict initiative.

Alok Sharma: The Government is committed to producing the next UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, in a focused, consultative and inclusive way. While HMG funding on Women, Peace and Security is focused on the implementation rather than the production of the UK National Action Plan, we have provided funding to enable civil society consultations in four focus countries and we are working with partners to ensure UK civil society and academic views are taken into account in the revision of the UK National Action Plan. The Government has funded an external, independent evaluation of the current UK National Action Plan, which will make recommendations for the next iteration of the plan for the next financial year to include research on stigma and preventing sexual violence against men and boys. This is part of our on-going efforts to produce an evidence base to inform and shape our Women, Peace and Security policy and more broadly on Gender Equality/Women and Girls, where there is a wide volume of funding for research, including through DFID funding.

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding Women, Peace and Security-related projects in (a) Afghanistan, (b) Bosnia, (c) Kosovo, (d) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (e) Somalia and (f) South Sudan received from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund in (i) 2015-16 and (ii) 2016-17.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding Women's security-related projects in (a) Afghanistan, (b) Bosnia, (c) Kosovo, (d) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (e) Somalia and (f) South Sudan received from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund in each year between 2008 and 2015.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which Women, Peace and Security-related projects in (a) Afghanistan, (b) Bosnia, (c) Kosovo, (d) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (e) Somalia and (f) South Sudan have received funding from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund since 2008.

Alok Sharma: The Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) only started in April 2015. The table attached gives a breakdown of Women, Peace and Security-related projects in (a) Afghanistan, (b) Bosnia, (c) Kosovo, (d) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (e) Somalia and (f) South Sudan including their funding allocations by financial year.The CSSF recognises at its core the importance of mainstreaming gender in all CSSF funded interventions. We do this, for example, by ensuring all programmes are compliant with the Gender Equality Act through requiring the design of all programmes to pay due consideration to the impact on gender equality . Examples of such projects include "Increasing access and participation of Women in the political process in Bosnia" and "Afghanistan, the Security Sector and Peace Building Programme" which supports the participation of women in the Afghan national police force.



Table
(Word Document, 19.57 KB)

Andargachew Tsege

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the merits of negotiating Andy Tsege's return to the UK.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health

Medway Maritime Hospital

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that Medway Maritime Hospital has capacity to meet the needs of the local population.

Mr Philip Dunne: Capacity planning is a matter for NHS England. Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is the lead commissioner for Medway Maritime Hospital and we are advised that local health and care leaders are working through the Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) to ensure that capacity across the STP footprint will meet future need. The CCG advises that there are currently no commissioning plans, as part of the STP, to reduce capacity at Medway Maritime Hospital.

Disability

Corri Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the report by Sense on 2 March 2017 on reductions in the number of people receiving sensory support in the last year; and what steps he is taking to ensure that such disabled people receive support.

David Mowat: Clinical commissioning groups and local authorities must work together to meet the needs of people with disabilities, such as sensory impairment, to enjoy independent lives. The Sense report calls for investment in social care. The Government is giving local authorities in England an additional £2 billion for social care, to help them meet their duties under the Care Act 2014 to determine the social care needs of people, including those with sensory impairment, and to arrange provision accordingly. £1 billion will be provided in 2017-18, ensuring that councils can start to fund more care packages immediately. The Disabled Facilities Grant allocation is also increasing – from £220 million in 2015-16, to £394 million in 2016-17; this is integrated into the Better Care Fund to support joint planning across housing, health and care for people with disabilities.

Heart Diseases: Children

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse has been of the NHS review of children's congenital cardiac services in England and its legacy programmes to date.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England spent £808,039 between August 2015 and January 2017 developing its proposals for implementing the new standards for children and adults with congenital heart disease, including preparing for and launching the consultation. The full costs of consultation will not be known until after the close of consultation.

Medical Equipment

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many pieces of medical equipment were (a) unreturned by patients and (b) discarded by the NHS in England in each year since 2014; and if he will estimate the cost of such equipment to the NHS in each such year.

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who has responsibility for (a) auditing returned medical equipment and (b) assessing whether such equipment can be reused by NHS trusts.

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether (a) NHS England and (b) any individual NHS trust has a system in place for receiving used medical equipment from patients.

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England makes provision to facilitate the transport of returned medical equipment from patients to hospitals.

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the cost to NHS trusts of unreturned crutches since January 2016.

Mr Philip Dunne: There is a responsibility on the National Health Service to make the very best use of all resources, including items of medical equipment, which are safe and legally reusable and returnable. Policy on the return of medical equipment is a matter for each individual organisation and should be included in their Sustainable Development Management Plan. NHS England has no generic policy in place for dealing with such matters or for the facilitation of transport to return medical equipment from patients to hospitals. Typically around 60% of medical equipment issued is recovered and reused. However, not all medical equipment is recovered and not all recovered is suitable for reuse. Information about the costs of medical equipment is not collected centrally as many areas have local arrangements for pooled budgets with the local authority under Section 75 of the National Health Service Act 2006 for an integrated community equipment service. No estimate has been made of the cost to NHS trusts of unreturned crutches since January 2016.

Hospitals: Greater London

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse was of the public consultation for the Shaping a Healthier Future programme undertaken in north west London in 2012.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally. The North West London Collaboration of Clinical Commissioning Groups has published information on their website at: http://www.healthiernorthwestlondon.nhs.uk/document-downloads which relates to the establishment of the programme, and includes copies of governance papers.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library the (a) number and (b) proportion of admissions by Black and minority ethnic groups for all respiratory conditions by clinical commissioning group area in each of the last five years.

David Mowat: The information requested is attached.



BME respiratory conditions by CCG
(Excel SpreadSheet, 167.74 KB)

Department of Health: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average response rate was of his Department to individual Freedom of Information requests in each month since July 2016.

David Mowat: FOI statistics are Official Statistics and are governed by the standards set out by the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) in their Code of Practice. To publish information outside of the release timetable would be a breach of Protocol 2 of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The latest Freedom of Information statistics were published in December 2016 and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/freedom-of-information-statistics-july-to-september-2016--2

Social Services: Disability

Corri Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that disabled people of all ages have equal access to social care; and with reference to paragraph 6.1 of the Spring Budget 2017, if he will make representations to councils to ensure that funding for social care is equally distributed among disabled people of all ages.

David Mowat: Social care is a means tested service. The Care Act 2014 requires that local authorities must assess any adult who appears to have a care and support need. The Children Act 1989 places a similar duty in relation to children’s needs. Local authorities are subject to the Public Sector Equality duty, which requires them to take steps to meet the needs of people with protected characteristics (which includes disability), where they are different from the needs of others , and to minimise or remove disadvantages resulting from protected characteristics. Local authorities have a duty to ensure that when someone has been assessed as being eligible for care and support due to a disability, they must commission the services to meet those needs. However, it is up to each local authority to decide what services to provide and how much based on local circumstances.

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2017 to Question 63752, on heart diseases: medical treatments, if he will ask NHS England to accelerate the routine commissioning of transcatheter aortic valve implantation as part of the Right Care programme.

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2017 to Question 63752, on heart diseases: medical treatments, what plans his Department has to engage with (a) patients and (b) industry stakeholders as part of NHS England's consultation on phase two of the new regime for the commissioning of high-cost devices.

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2017 to Question 63752, on heart diseases: medical treatments, what the timeline is for the publication of the (a) national cardiac review and (b) transcatheter aortic valve implantation pathway.

David Mowat: NHS England has advised that they are in the process of examining the evidence for extending access to transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). In June 2016 it hosted a Clinical Summit to examine the issues relating to aortic valve disease. This reviewed the growth in the use of TAVI, and possible reasons for variation in use. The outcomes from this summit are now part of the work plan for the Cardiac Services Clinical Reference Group and are being considered within the scope of the specialised cardiac review in 2017/18 . This review will include an analysis of current clinical commissioning policy, the evidence base, and the cost-effectiveness of different interventions; and will inform future commissioning position. The reasons for the increase in demand and variation are multifactorial, and for this reason, a review of the wider aortic stenosis pathway is the most appropriate approach. The review will include the medical therapy and traditional surgical pathway and will also include specialised centres, secondary care and primary care clinicians. The review is currently in its scoping phase. The timescales, format and the duration of the associated consultation will be dependent on the agreed scope of the review, which is expected to be finalised in summer 2017. The timelines for reviewing TAVI will be confirmed in line with the timelines for the cardiac review and high cost devices programme. The approach to phase two of the commissioning of high cost devices is still being finalised but is expected to include engagement with stakeholders from patient groups, industry and industry bodies.

Defibrillators

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department plans to ensure that defibrillators are promoted by health and wellbeing boards.

David Mowat: Health and wellbeing boards are responsible for ensuring that local health and local authority organisations work effectively together to improve outcomes. Where the health and wellbeing board concludes that investment in defibrillators should be a priority for a local area, we would expect them to work with partner organisations to promote them.

Onivyde

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects a decision to be made on approval of the Onivyd drug for NHS use in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence currently expects to publish final guidance on the use of Onivyde (pegylated liposomal irinotecan) in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV) for the treatment of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas in adults whose disease has progressed after gemcitabine-based therapy in April 2017.

Medical Treatments

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many new (a) drugs and (b) treatments the NHS has approved in each of the last five years.

Nicola Blackwood: Information on the number of recommendations on drugs and other treatments that have been made by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) through its technology appraisal programme in each of the last five calendar years is provided in the following tables. Drugs20122013201420152016Recommended2312193038Recommended for Cancer Drugs Fund100001Optimised (recommended for a subgroup of patients)1921426Only in Research11000Source: NICE’s full list of all published technology appraisal guidance recommendations Other Treatments20122013201420152016Recommended01300Recommended for Cancer Drugs Fund100000Optimised (recommended for a subgroup of patients)00200Only in Research00000 Note: 1 New category of recommendation introduced in 2016 as part of the new operating framework for the Cancer Drugs Fund.Source: NICE’s full list of all published technology appraisal guidance recommendations

Ophthalmic Services: Standards

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the role of NHS England is in reducing care inconsistencies across eye health services; and how effective NHS England has been in that role.

David Mowat: This is a matter for each of the local clinical commissioning groups. Eye health services that are regulated activities in accordance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 are required to register with the Care Quality Commission and comply with the Fundamental Standards of Care.

Ophthalmic Services: Standards

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mechanisms NHS commissioners use to measure experiences of and outcome for eye patients.

David Mowat: This is the responsibility of each local clinical commissioning group (CCG) and we do not collect this information. However, the Public Health Outcomes Framework includes an indicator on preventable sight loss which tracks three of the commonest causes of preventable sight loss, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. The open availability of this data provides a resource for commissioners and local health and wellbeing boards to identify what is needed in their areas and for comparisons to be made with other areas. The CCG Outcomes Indicator Set also provides clear, comparative information for CCGs, health and wellbeing boards, local authorities, patients and the public about the quality of health services commissioned by CCGs and the associated health outcomes. The indicators are useful for CCGs and health and wellbeing boards in identifying local priorities for quality improvement and to demonstrate progress that local health systems are making on outcomes.

British Pregnancy Advisory Service: Merseyside

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the implications for his policies are of the Quality Report from the Care Quality Commission, on BPAS Merseyside, published on 26 January 2017.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps have been taken in response to the Quality Report of the Care Quality Commission, on BPAS Merseyside, published on 26 January 2017.

Nicola Blackwood: The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection report of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) Merseyside identified a number of areas of concern. These concerns are being addressed locally through a joint action plan between BPAS Merseyside, the CQC and Halton Clinical Commissioning Group. The CQC is monitoring the action plan through ongoing engagement with BPAS Merseyside.

Suicide: Females

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the implications for his policies are of the data from the Office for National Statistics on the disproportionately high rate of suicide among women in the culture, media and sport sectors; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: The data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 17 March builds on our knowledge of groups at high risk of suicide and where this may relate to their occupation, which we set out in the Cross-Government National Suicide Prevention Strategy in 2012. Alongside the ONS data, Public Health England published suicide prevention and postvention toolkits for employers. Reducing the risk of suicide: a toolkit for employers and Crisis management in the event of a suicide: a postvention toolkit for employers are attached. Departmental officials have been working with Public Health England to assess what impact this new data will have on our policies and we will continue to do that as we implement the National Strategy. We published the updated National Suicide Prevention Strategy in January which set out how we will strengthen its delivery in key areas, including better targeting of high risk groups. Within the updated strategy we stated we will be working with industry to share best practice with other sectors such as Network Rail and the construction industry. We will provide further updates on developments through our annual suicide prevention progress reports.



PHE suicide prevention toolkit
(PDF Document, 6.02 MB)




PHE suicide postvention toolkit
(PDF Document, 4.7 MB)

Medical Records: Disclosure of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who within his Department is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the Access to Health Records Act 1990.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many instances there have been where (a) an individual and (b) a family have put in a request to access the health records of individuals to whom they are related in accordance with the Health Records Act 1990; and how many of those requests were rejected in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nicola Blackwood: Requests made under the Access to Health Records Act 1990 are made directly by individuals to the holder of that record. The 1990 Act does not confer any oversight powers or duties on the Secretary of State and no statistics are published or held. The Department does not therefore hold information on the number of instances there have been where an individual and family have put in a request to access the health records of individuals to whom they are related or how many of those requests were rejected. The Access to Health Records Act 1990 covers access to deceased patient health records by specified persons. Most requests for access to medical records are made as subject access requests under the Data Protection Act 1998, which covers the records of living individuals. We are working as part of the Personalised Health And Care 2020 programme to enable more people to access their medical records online.

Aston Hall Hospital: Offences against Children

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on investigating historical allegations of abuse at Aston Hall, Derbyshire; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: The police investigation into this matter remains on-going. Derbyshire Police has advised that the scale and nature of this enquiry naturally means that this is a protracted and complex investigation. The timescales for any system-wide Serious Case Review or Learning Review will depend on the outcome of current police enquiries.

Orkambi

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Vetrex and NHS England on the drug Orkambi's availability to people with cystic fibrosis.

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making the drug Orkambi availabile to people with cystic fibrosis.

Nicola Blackwood: Ministers and Government officials have had a number of discussions with Vertex and NHS England in which the availability of Orkambi for the treatment of cystic fibrosis was raised. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops guidance for the National Health Service on whether new drugs and treatments represent a clinically and cost effective use of resources. NICE published final guidance on the use of Orkambi (lumacaftor-ivacaftor) for treating cystic fibrosis homozygous for the F508del mutation in July 2016 that does not recommend this treatment. Where NICE has not been able to recommend a treatment, funding decisions should be made by the relevant NHS commissioner, based on an assessment of the available evidence.

Health Professions: EU Nationals

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) nurses and (b) midwives from other EU member states were registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council in each month in the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department of Health has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Services: Finance

Mrs Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the additional funding for social care announced in the Spring Budget 2017 will be divided between the NHS and local councils.

David Mowat: Following the Budget announcements, local authorities in England will receive an additional £2 billion for social care over the next three years. This funding will allow councils to support more people and sustain a diverse care market. It will also help to ease pressures on the National Health Service, by supporting more people to be discharged from hospital and into care as soon as they are ready. In addition, to help manage pressure on accident and emergency (A&E) services this winter, the Government is providing £100 million new capital investment in A&E departments. This will help to ensure patients access the most appropriate care as quickly as possible by improving the space for assessing patients and providing on-site general practitioner facilities.

Sanitary Protection: Prescriptions

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the annual cost of making sanitary products available on prescription.

David Mowat: The Department has made no such estimate. Products allowable on a National Health Service prescription should be for the treatment of a medical condition, which can include diagnosis and prevention. This does not include items that could be considered more appropriate for the social care of an individual, for example, incontinence pads or sanitary products.

Hospitals: Lincolnshire

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to (a) secure appointments and (b) provide additional support in other ways to the 111 patients in Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Trust areas whose referrals were missed off waiting lists in 2016.

Mr Philip Dunne: Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust are working closely with their local commissioners and general practitioners to ensure patients who have been referred are included on their waiting lists. They are taking a number of measures including carrying out reviews and checks of all their waiting lists to ensure every patient has been captured.

Eating Disorders: Great Grimsby

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason NHS England does not refer patients to Navigo's specialist eating disorder unit Rharian Fields in Great Grimsby.

Nicola Blackwood: We are informed by NHS England that its Specialised Commissioning North team “does refer patients to Rharian Fields. The choice of a unit is based on a number of criteria including patient choice, service capacity, patient mix and clinical need. Locally, when patients are referred to Rharian Fields, a clinical discussion takes place regarding whether this is the most appropriate pathway/placement for the patient. If not, they will then be referred to a different unit.”

Exercise: Children

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to launch the Daily Mile nationwide in England.

Nicola Blackwood: The Chief Medical Officer recommends that all children aged five-18 should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. The Government published a Childhood Obesity Plan for Action in August 2016, which can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-obesity-a-plan-for-action This plan states that for all primary school children, at least 30 minutes of physical activity should be delivered in school every day through active break times, Physical Education, extra curricular clubs, active lessons or other sport and physical activity events. Schools have the freedom to decide how to meet this expectation and which programmes, such as The Daily Mile, they choose to adopt.

General Practitioners

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time equivalent GPs were working in (a) Warrington, (b) the North West and (c) England per head of population on the most recent date for which figures are available.

David Mowat: The latest general practice workforce statistics are from September 2016. The information requested is attached.



GPs North West England September 2016
(Excel SpreadSheet, 24.35 KB)

Physician Associates: Prescription Drugs

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling physician associates to prescribe medicines.

Mr Philip Dunne: Healthcare professionals, including physician associates, must be statutorily regulated before the service need for them to be able to train as independent prescribers can be assessed.The Department is currently considering options for a consultation on the regulation of physician associates, which will be published in due course.In addition NHS England, in conjunction with the Department, is currently considering whether there is evidence of service need for expansion of the groups of National Health Service professionals who can train to take up prescribing and medicines supply and/or administration responsibilities.

Pathology

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an estimate of (a) how many and (b) what proportion of consultant cellular pathologists will retire in the next five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally.

Care Quality Commission: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the funding that the Care Quality Commission will receive in 2017-18 after the commencement of its new fees scheme in April 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is funded from two sources of income: Grant In Aid annual allocation by the Department, and fees income levied annually on the health and social care providers that the CQC regulates. The CQC’s indicative budget for 2017-18 of £230 million comprises £34 million Grant In Aid allocation. The remainder of the budget represents fee income of £196 million.

Pathology: Staff

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of staffing levels in cellular pathology.

Mr Philip Dunne: Responsibility for staffing levels rests with individual National Health Service trusts and their boards who are best placed to decide how many staff they need to provide a given service, taking into account skill mix and efficiency.

Locums

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost of employing locum doctors in the NHS in (a) Gloucestershire, (b) the South West and (c) England has been for each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Agency spending by staff group is not collected centrally. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State introduced a series of radical measures to bring agency spending back under control in 2015. The measures are working - as of Quarter 3 2016-17, the National Health Service had spent £500 million less than at the same point last year. NHS Improvement recently wrote to trusts outlining a series of additional measures to curb spending on medical locums, including increased transparency of rates paid to highest earners, improved managerial oversight, and work with Royal Colleges to bring locums into the substantive workforce. Data on agency spending is not currently collected by city or standard regions, but acute trusts in Gloucestershire fall under the NHS England South region. An up-to-date list of these trusts is available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/south/team/ccg-trust/ The latest national list of best and worst performers on agency spending is available at: https://improvement.nhs.uk/uploads/documents/Quarter_Three_201617_-_NHS_provider_sector_performance_report_-_Feb_2017.pdf Regarding general practitioners (GPs), Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group is not aware of any local issues with locum doctor costs. GP practices have been asked to record annually the number of times a locum doctor is paid more than the indicative maximum rate of £80.01 per hour set by NHS England, starting in 2016/17, for which the data is not yet available.